What I’ve been listening to this week…

​Born In The USA (Electric Nebraska) – Bruce Springsteen

The most punk rock thing legendary artist Bruce Springsteen ever did was release an album of demos he recorded in his bedroom. In 1980 The Boss had his first chart topping album (The River), went on a world tour, and there was a decade of momentum propelling him forward. He became known for powerful rock shows and recorded songs that translated that same energy (supported by the E. Street Band). In spite of all the success he found himself “helpless, clueless and face up against the wall (he’d) been inching toward for a long time.” His “depression was spewing like an oil spill.” In 1981 he sat down in a rented ranch house in New Jersey and channeled this darkness into a set of strange acoustic demos. Those lofi 4-track recorded songs became his critically acclaimed album Nebraska. He initially thought he would take them into the studio and have the band fill them out, but it didn’t work when they tried. Among those shelved was a song that would become one of Springsteen’s biggest hits… A few weeks ago he released the version of Born In The USA from those discarded electric Nebraska sessions and I’ve been listening to it all week. It’s a testament to the strength of his artistry. Not only did he have the foresight and discipline NOT to re-record the demos but he also knew this song could be better (30 million copies later he was obviously right). It’s got a haunting vibe in total opposition to the way the song would turn out when he recorded it years later. Nebraska was my gateway to Springsteen’s music when I discovered it in high school. I initially connected with Atlantic City in a way that hadn’t with other songs like Dancing In The Dark or I’m on Fire. I remember seeing Aaron Gillespie and Noah & Abby Gundersen cover the song together during the 2013 To Write Love on Her Arms tour in Dallas. There’s a great book about all of this called Deliver Me From Nowhere by Warren Zanes and they’re releasing a movie of the same name starring Jeremy Allen-White next month which I’m pumped about. Watch me talk more about this in the video above!

​Big Wheel – Samia

I was in a coffee shop earlier this year when I first heard Samia’s new album Bloodless. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it was basically all I listened to for several months. The songs have an organic indie rock feeling that is strengthened by descriptive and vulnerable lyrics. The best word I can think of to describe her voice is “piercing” but devoid of any negative connotation—it hits you right in the chest. If I had to pick a top 3 from the album it would be Sacred (watch my cover), Dare, and North Poles. Some of my favorite lines from Sacred are: “I walked outside naked / got in the pool and passed out / You saw something sacred / But you never loved me like you hate me now.” This past week I saw her play at Scoot Inn in Austin and was kinda blown away. Her voice was absolutely rock solid all the way through the show as she played mostly songs from Bloodless and her 2020 album The Baby. It was a song from the latter which hit differently at the show and I’ve been going back to since. It’s called Big Wheel and she said during the show its about a time when she “got bad news but didn’t fight” (I’m not really sure what that means either but the song rips). Bloodless is holding strong as my favorite album of the year (so far).

​Baby – Dijon

Before he was known for producing Justin Bieber songs, the alternative R&B artist Dijon released a live recording of his entire debut album Absolutely. The “film” hooked me with its visceral performances and the intense connection that the musicians have with each other (another great artist Mk.gee plays in the video and has been a producer on most of Dijon’s work). It’s almost as if he’s falling into every note that he plays and sings. Last month he released his second album Baby and after listening for the first time I was caught off guard—I thought there was too much going on. There’s a lot of interesting production choices throughout but it seemed too chaotic. I had a conversation about it with my friend/hiphop artist Malik Baptiste (he just released a new single which is really good) and he had a different take. He said he thought of the production choices in an emotional way, that the chaos is intentional and meant to evoke different sensations. Afterward I found myself going back to the album, finding more in it each time I listened. It grew on me (the kimchi effect). Some of my favorites are HIGHER!, Yamaha, and Kindalove. The last one I mentioned might be the best gateway if you’re unfamiliar. He’s creating a rich emotional soundscape that you can get lost in (that song is best experienced driving while the sun sets).

Talk to you next week,

Dawson